NH fish coop

NH fishermen band together to sell locally caught harvest

Sarah VanHorn, general manager of New Hampshire Community Seafood, holds a cod. Fishermen out of Seabrook, Hampton, Rye Harbor and Portsmouth Harbor are offering shares that guarantee deliveries of freshly caught fish every week or every other week. (COURTESY)

PORTSMOUTH — Got fish?

New Hampshire Community Seafood wants to give Granite Staters access to fresh fish, and is offering shares in a community supported fishery.

Fishing boats from Seabrook, Hampton, Rye Harbor and Portsmouth Harbor — 14 fishermen and their crew — have decided to organize a harvest cooperative, according to Sarah E. VanHorn, general manager of New Hampshire Community Seafood.

VanHorn said fishermen have been plying the waters off the New Hampshire coast for the last 400 years.

"The maritime fishing industry, a vital element of the economy, culture and history of the New Hampshire Seacoast, is in crisis," VanHorn said. "We are addressing this crisis by increasing the recognition and appreciation of the interdependent roles that the fishing industry and the consumer play in our local ecological economy."

The goal is to "reconnect the local consumer base with New Hampshire commercial fisherman via a new marketplace for locally sourced seafood — a direct market from boat to plate," she said.

Shares range from $40 to $200, depending on the type and amount of fish purchased. Deliveries are made every week or every other week for eight weeks, depending on the type of share. Shareholders will also receive an invitation to the annual shareholder celebration in July, to meet the fishermen and share a fish fry.